Garage door opener systems have become more sophisticated over the years providing users with more convenience and security. In many instances, transmitters for remotely controlling the operation of moveable barriers, for example, garage doors, are placed in the vehicle of the owner and actuated by the owner when the vehicle approaches the garage. For instance, the owner may press a button or buttons on the transmitter. The transmitter then sends a signal to a receiver that is located in the garage and connected to the moveable barrier operator. Upon receiving the signal, the receiver determines if the signal is authentic. For example, the receiver may determine if the signal includes a code that matches with a code stored at the receiver. If a match is determined, an entry signal is applied to the moveable barrier operator and motors in the moveable barrier operator cause the garage door to lift, allowing the owner access to their garage.
In some circumstances, it is difficult to locate and/or use the transmitter. For example, during darkness, the transmitter may be difficult to locate in the vehicle, and, once located, difficult to operate. In other situations, distractions may occur inside and outside the vehicle making it difficult to find and operate the transmitter. For instance, noisy children, pets, or inclement weather often make it difficult to find the transmitter and press the button to open or close the garage door.
Previous systems have recognized that certain events occur within a vehicle may be used to acuate the transmitter and cause the garage door opener to be operated. For instance, headlights may be turned on or off or flashed a certain number of times to activate the transmitter. However, these known systems have required complicated rewiring in the vehicle to power the system to send a triggering event and communicate the occurrence from the source of the event to the transmitter using a wire or via some other invasive method. The use of prior systems is inconvenient because it requires a user to hard-wire an apparatus into the electrical system of the vehicle and limits triggering to electrical events. Unintentional damage may also occur if the user makes mistakes during the installation of the connection from the source to the transmitter. In addition, installation is often a time-consuming process and cannot be accomplished easily for many users.
Systems that are able to locate the position of an object with a great degree of accuracy are also well known in the art. For example, satellite locations systems exist that allow the determination of the position of an object, for instance, a vehicle. In one application, global positioning satellite (GPS) technology is used to track the operation of trucks in trucking fleets.
Previous systems that detected events within a vehicle to actuate a garage door opener have done so no matter where the vehicle was located. In other words, an occurrence of an event would always cause the transmission of a message from the transmitter, even though it would prove impossible for the receiver to receive the message. However, the actuation of the transmitter regardless of the location of the transmitter wastes the energy of the transmitter and leads to the degradation of system components due to the unnecessary actuation of these system components and may result in a receiver not recognizing a transmitted code in coding arrangements that change the code on a per actuation basis.